Since 1990, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MASSDEP) has banned the disposal or transport for disposal of specific types of garbage in order to reduce waste. As of November 2022, this ban now includes mattresses and textiles.
This makes getting rid of mattress difficult in Massachusetts since residents can no longer throw away mattresses and textiles, like clothing or linens, for trash collection or city bulk pickup. This regulation targets companies that create mass amounts of waste.
However, by upselling with LoadUp’s existing mattress removal services this new hurdle also give these companies an opportunity to make more money and solve all disposal obstacles for both their customers and their business.
Strategic partners can resell LoadUp’s value added set up and disposal services on their website through a seamless shopping cart integration (services executed by LoadUp) and add to their profit with no strain on the business.
🛒 View Shopping Cart Integration Demo: Check out LoadUp Enterprise demo integrations to see a live example of how to incorporate the shopping cart API on your website. VIEW DEMOS ❯
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Understanding Massachusetts Disposal Regulations
The new ban set forth by the state’s environmental protection department is a part of a larger regulation called CMR 310 19.000, which deals with local solid waste facility regulations.
CMR 310, also known as the Code of Massachusetts Regulations, is the compilation of all the regulations by the Trial Court Law Libraries. CMR 310 19.000 associates specifically with solid waste management. The regulations here are “intended to protect public health, safety and the environment by comprehensively regulating the storage, transfer, processing, treatment, disposal, use and reuse of solid waste in Massachusetts.”
The state wants these items and the materials to be resold, reused, recycled or repurposed to reduce disposed waste from discarded textiles. The goal is to reduce this by 90% by 2050.
Did you know❓ According to MASSDEP, over 600,000 mattresses and box springs get discarded annually yet over 75% of their components are recyclable.
Massachusetts waste bans over time
The department began introducing bans on the disposal and transfer of certain items in 1990, with regulations on landfilling and combustion of easy-to-recycle and toxic materials.
Over time, the agency has implemented more and more regulations on specific items, with now over a dozen items that can’t be disposed of. Also included in new regulations is a commercial food material disposal ban.
Previously the agency banned commercial and food waste disposal and transfer from facilities generating one ton or more of waste. The threshold is now down to a half-ton, with more efforts to reduce food waste.
Items Banned For Disposal in Massachusetts
The banned items for disposal list keeps growing, with everything from textiles to yard debris.
- Glass
- Textiles
- Mattresses
- Yard Waste
- Box Springs
- Whole Tires
- Recyclable Paper
- Metal Containers
- Asphalt Pavement
- Lead Acid Batteries
Local Mattress Recycling For Businesses
For mattress retailers and other furniture companies, this new regulation means you’ll need to pay more 💸💸💸 to get your merchandise removed, dispose of or recycled.
MASSDEP estimates that the state has the capacity to recycle around 460,000 mattresses per year. Although they offer municipal grants and state contracts to find mattress recyclers, local governments express concern over financial costs and logistical issues for local businesses.
A mattress retailer would have to spend the ample time finding proper recycling or donation (which in this state can be difficult) and less time on business and serving costumers.
Mattress business professionals working with LoadUp won’t need to stress looking for “mattress recyclers near me” online. If disposal logistics aren’t your cup of tea ☕, LoadUp’s mattress disposal in Massachussetts and nationwide can give businesses the integration, crews and affordable costs required to dispose of mattresses in an eco-friendly way.
Massachusetts Mattress Disposal Costs
Mattress removal costs vary by area, but with Massachusetts’ new regulations, municipalities can charge residents a $10-50 fee, not including transportation, fuel prices and other factors.
So, how does this affect an e-commerce company like a mattress retailer? Well, customers that can’t get rid of their own old mattress see it as a huge inconvenience and may stop them from purchasing. Mattress companies can call the city and pay out of pocket to arrange the old mattress pickup and provide mattress bags for disposal.
In order to comply with Massachusetts disposal regulations, the company could be paying anywhere from $1k to $5k in fees in order to get the mattresses properly disposed of.
When it comes to mattress returns, the reverse logistics can be a hassle and picking up a new mattress for disposal is difficult to fit into your last mile delivery provider’s schedule.
LoadUp’s Eco-Friendly Mattress Disposal
By partnering with LoadUp, you will never need to search “where to recycle textiles?” ever again or build a mattress removal process from scratch! LoadUp’s convenient API integration system can help companies handle bulk mattress pickups with our contractors, aka Loaders.
Instead of potentially eating a loss every time mass orders come in, LoadUp can provide single or recurring pickups to keep the costs low and business running efficiently.
How LoadUp’s shopping cart integration works
Whether you use Shopify, WooCommerce, Big Commerce, or a GraphQL API, our shopping cart integration works seamlessly across multiple e-commerce platforms, adding removal and/or setup options to checkout windows for online customers.
Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of what our API integration system can look like when paired with an e-commerce service.
- Integrate the API with your shopping cart: Our mattress setup, removal and recycling services can easily be with a SKU number provided by LoadUp. Everything else, from design, marketing and pricing is totally up to you.
- Mattress removal/setup is selected on an order: If a customer places an order and includes our services as the add-on to get rid of an old mattress, we’ll create a schedule request and email the customer to schedule a time that works for them.
- Customers books mattress or other junk removal: The same quality removal service that we provide nationwide is right there for your business to implement.
- And.. relax! LoadUp has it from here: We can handle all the customer service, scheduling, complaints (if any) and inquries so your company doesn’t have to.
📱 Want to know more? Partner with us by visiting LoadUp Enterprise or call us at (404) 801-3888.
Long-term benefits of API integration in E-commerce
One of the benefits of adding a seamless integration system like LoadUp’s is convenience. Consumers don’t want to spend time going to several different places to get everything they need. It takes up too much time, and in some cases, will cost too much.
With LoadUp’s service, your potential customers, especially those looking for an all-in-one, one-stop shop experience can find exactly what they need. In today’s day and age with e-commerce continuing to soar in the market, that matters.
And if you want to even implement this same system to customers nationwide, e-commerce industries like mattress stores will be able to charge the same amount for the same convenient services to customers outside of Massachusetts and beyond!
Outside of convenience, your company has the opportunity to upsell on items for potential profit, all while staying in compliance of Massachusetts’ recycling and disposal regulations. Partnering with LoadUp can also allow for a sustainable business model for the environment, too. Our Loaders always opt for the greenest, eco-friendly disposal methods.
🌳 We Plant Trees: LoadUp donates to Plant with Purpose for every removal order we perform and partners have the opportunity to join the sustainability initiative.
So why waste valuable time and energy looking for reliable mattress or textile recycling in Boston or trying to figure out how to get rid of mattresses in Massachusetts, when there is an on-demand service near you that can help?
With everything LoadUp offers from assembly, installation, removal, disposal, recycling and donation, LoadUp is here to help make your business run as efficiently as possible!
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